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    The Face on the Milk Carton
    The Face on the Milk Carton
    The Face on the Milk Carton
    Audiobook5 hours

    The Face on the Milk Carton

    Written by Caroline B. Cooney

    Narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When 15-year-old Janie Johnson sees her own face in the missing children box on a milk carton, her world begins to blur. Was she kidnapped when she was a baby? Who are her parents? And who are Mr. and Mrs. Johnson? Janie's search for the answers will lead her back twelve years into memories of another house, another family, another life. Her questions threaten to destroy the love she feels for her parents and the security they have given her. But it is a search she cannot ignore. The Face on the Milk Carton has been extremely popular ever since it was first released. An IRS-CBC Children's Choice Book, it also has been made into a frequently-aired television special. Recorded Books is proud to offer an unabridged recording of this riveting story that takes on new drama and urgency through Alyssa Bresnahan's stirring narration.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateNov 15, 2013
    ISBN9781490608037
    The Face on the Milk Carton
    Author

    Caroline B. Cooney

    Caroline B. Cooney was born in New York, grew up in Connecticut, and now lives in South Carolina. Caroline is the author of about 80 books in many genres, and her books have sold over fifteen million copies. I’m Going to Give You a Bear Hug was her first picture book, based on a verse she wrote for her own children, Louisa, Sayre, and Harold, who are now grown. I’m Going to Give You a Polar Bear Hug is the sequel! Visit her at carolinebcooneybooks.com or Caroline B. Cooney’s author page on Facebook.

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    Reviews for The Face on the Milk Carton

    4/5

    82 ratings29 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Janie is fifteen and like all fifteen year olds, she wants to take driving lessons, have boyfriends and do well in school. She loves her parents.She always sits with the same group of friends during lunch period. She's lactose intolerant so she rarely has milk during lunch, but one day she's daring. On the back of the small milk container is usually a photo of a missing child and the kids typically say something about the child. Well, today, Janie looks at the photo and sees herself, only twelve years younger. Jennie Spring was abducted from a shopping mall in New Jersey when she was three years old...a long way from the Connecticut town Janie lives in.Janie always wanted to change her name...to something more exotic like Jayyne Johnston, but never to Jennie Spring. She begins to obsess about it, wondering why she doesn't look anything like her parents. A trip up to the attic while her parents are away (a place she never goes) reveals a trunk containing report cards and other things from a girl named Hannah, who Janie never heard of. It also contains the dress shown in the photo of Jennie.Janie begins to 'have memories' but she can't tell whether they are real or imaginary, about a house full of kids, laughing parents, going to the mall, going with a woman who offers her ice cream.Janie can't tell anyone. If she tells her friends Sarah-Charlotte or Adair they won't believe her and they'll spread it all around school. She finally tells her next door neighbor (and possibly boyfriend) Reeve.*****SPOILER*****She convinces Reeve to drive her to NJ. She passes the Springs' house and sees a bunch of red-haired children, just like her.Ultimately she must confront her parents, who tell her that their daughter, Hannah, was involved in a cult and that she, Janie, is Hannah's daughter by a man the cult forced her to marry. They lost Hannah and they can't go through losing Janie. It turns out that Hannah abducted Janie.Reeve's sister, Lizzie, is a law student. Reeve tells her about it and she talks with Janie and her parents. It's Janie's mother who makes the phone call to NJ.The cliff-hanger ending leads directly into a sequel about Janie meeting her biological parents. It's also movie material, as we know.Readers will empathize with Janie, her worries, her stress, her ambivalence in meeting new 'parents'. She wants her parents to be her parents.Janie's a real 15 year old as are her friends. Her parents are real parents, concerned about her, scared of losing her. The entire story rings true.
    • 4/5
      How would you react if one day you looked at a missing person's report and found your child self staring back at you? This is exactly what happens to sophomore Janie Johnson and what follows is a whirlwind of emotional discovery for the teen.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in a series. A very good story about a teenager who discovers she was kidnapped when she was a little girl. Heart wrenching for her and all involved. I will definitely read the other books to see how it all ends.
    • 4/5
      I read this back in elementary school. It was a really good book from what I remember. Story about a young child who is abducted. The woman who adopts her convinces everyone that its her child but then leaves her with her parents. The girl grows up thinking that these people are her grandparents and her grandparents honestly believe that this is their granddaughter. Good book for a young reader. I believe they also made it a movie.
    • 3/5
      This book is about a girl named Janie. One day she picked up a milk carton and it said somebody’s name close to hers. Janie had been thinking her parents kidnapped her before she saw the milk carton. One day Janie asked her parents questions like, “why don't I have any baby pictures or a birth certificate”, they told her that they were her grandparents not her parents. Janie's real mother Hannah left her with them when she was little because she was caught up in a party and she had been running from them and wanted to go back. What they told her wasn't as much as necessary and Janie knew that was not it. She had been having bad dreams at night about her real family. One day her and Reeve drove to New Jersey and looked up Springs. There was no Hannah, but there was Springs. Later in the story she was learning more and found out that Hannah had kidnapped her because she was lonely. She left Janie with her mother and father so they can raise Janie on their own.
    • 4/5
      "The Face on the Milk carton looked like any ordinary little girl: hair in tight pigtails, a dress with a narrow white collar, a three year old who had been kidnapped twelve years ago from a shopping mall in New Jersey." Janie looked and starred in amazement at the milk carton.Could it be, Janie Johnson? My parents kidnapped me? The Face on The Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney is a powerful novel,that will leave you on the edge of you on the edge of your seat. The myterious parents, the milk carton, no birth certifacites. Those are all part of her twisted life. I don't think Janie is an easy girl to relate to. Sometimes during the book you get inside her head, but, I enjoy how she thinks. Its for all genders. If you enjoy Contemporary Realistic Fiction you'll certanly enjoy Caroline B. Cooney's The Face of The Milk Carton.
    • 3/5
      One morning Janie is sitting down to eat her cereal and discovers to her absolute astonishment that she is on a milk carton. This story relates her journey to finding her natural parents. The book is part of a series, each book being just as good as the others.
    • 4/5
      This book is listed at 12+. Although it deals with sexuality and should then feel more mature, the main character seems more like a 12 year old than the 15 year old she is. It does have a plot that I think a lot of children could identify with: finding out you're adopted (technically stolen). Who hasn't wondered that or been told that by a teasing sibling? I think I may have read this book a long time ago, or maybe it was just popular when I was in elementary school. I didn't start reading YA Lit until 7th grade.Pros- lots of tension and drama-familiar and interesting topic-quick and easy read (3 hours tops)Cons-seems very dated at 22 years old because of popular references.
    • 4/5
      I had to read this for a book for a book report and I didn't want to read it but then i got around to reading it and couldn't stop. It was a good book and I'm glad that I had to read this book. It was a page turner.
    • 3/5
      From a first person point of view, Jamie looks at the picture of a missing person on a milk carton and realizes that it looks just like her. She tries to push away persistent thoughts, but starts having memories or flashbacks of her earlier life. She comes to realize she was kidnapped at a young age.
    • 5/5
      15-year-old Janie Johnson, the main character, sees the face of herself at 3-years old on a milk carton, identified as a missing person. Janie begins to wonder if the picture could really be her as she probes her memory to flashback 12 years back. She investigates and experiences a parade of emotions and questions afte her parents give her an explanation. As she struggles with understanding the real truth about her parents and what happened before the age of 3, she turns to her neighbor for advice. She tracks down the Spring family in New Jersey and finally pieces everything together. Cooney did a great job at creating suspense and tension. It was almost impossible to figure out the mysterious situation before it was revealed in the end. I liked Janie and also enjoyed the way the author portrayed the parents, The Springs, and her friend Reeve. This is a great book for teens, especially for those who love suspense with a great deal of clues and details!
    • 3/5
      Not well written in its' entirety. Hard to follow storyline at times. The characters weren't that strong as one would think they'd be, given the title of this book. Somewhat disappointed overall.
    • 4/5
      This is a story of a fifteen year-old girl named Janie whose life changes the moment she see's a familiar face on a milk carton. One day when Janie was eating lunch with her friends she notcied a milk carton that had a missing child report on it. The closer she looked, the more she realized that the little girl on the carton was her. Or at least she thought. Janie soon began to investigate this issue by rummaging through her "so-called" families attic where she finds a dress that is identical to the one in the missing persons photo. She also comes across a box which says "HANNAH" on it. She had never heard her parents discuss this names before which began to worry her even more. As the story continues, she finally approaches her mother and father about the issue and they respond by a convincing story. Janie still found herself wondering about the truth in their whole story which lead to further investigation. Eventually Janie looks up the family who put the add on the carton and finds quickly that she has much in common with the other children playing outside...
    • 4/5
      Janie Johnson isn't supposed to drink milk. She is lactose intolerant. One day at lunch, she grabs a carton from her friend and drinks it. As she looks at the carton, she sees the face of a little girl in a familiar dress staring back at her. Years ago, they used to put missing children's pictures on milk cartons. This little girl is...Janie?What does this mean about her parents? Her life? It is quite a mystery that takes you through several books in search of answers. I read the first two. This one is definately worth reading.
    • 3/5
      I didn't find it quite as suspenseful as it seems to advertise itself as, but it was an interesting, easy read, with characters I liked.
    • 5/5
      Janey Johnson recognizes herself as being the missing child on the milk cartons her friends are drinking from at lunch. Could she have forgotten something as serious as being kidnapped at age 3? Could her wonderful parents have done something so awful? I loved this book. There are a lot of twists and turns that leave you wondering what Janey's going to do next.
    • 4/5
      Janie is a typical fifteen year old. One who is looking forward to getting her driver's license and is interested in boys. Until one day in the cafeteria she looks down at the milk cartoon and see's herself. Listed as kidnapped, the picture shows a three-year old child, one wearing a dress that she remembers. I remember watching the movie when I was a teenager, and absolutely loving it. The book was just as enjoyable. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series and finding out what happens with Janie and her families.
    • 1/5
      I chose to read this book because it was on the "100 most frequently challenged books" list. I don't believe in banning books from libraries, but I do believe in encouraging people not to read books that are mind numbing drivel. This book could have been so much better if the author had stuck to the story and left out the silly sub-plot of Janey and her boyfriend deciding to have sex or not. Please save your mind for a better piece of fiction.
    • 4/5
      Compelling and full of suspense. How did Janie's perfect parents (apparently) kidnap her as a little girl? Who is Hannah? What is her real family like?
    • 3/5
      Janie Johnson seems like your ordinary every day girl trying to survive high school. All seems to be going well in her life until she happens across a milk carton with a missing child picture which resembles herself. Her life begins to become tangled as she tries to solve the mystery behind the face on the carton. Who is she? Who are her parents? Was she kidnapped? A compelling story of how something that appears to be normal might not be so.
    • 4/5
      Janie is sixteen and loves her friends and parents, raised with everything she could want. She is tired of drinking milk. but being lactose intolerant she picks milk one day, and it will by chance her life, The girl on the back in the missing picture looks a lot like her and she remembers the dress and starts to have flash backs of her former life, She also decides she loves her parents that raised her to much to turn them in.
    • 4/5
      We’ve all seen them, the faces of the missing children staring out from grainy pictures, knowing that there is a sad story behind each one. But what if the face of the missing child was your face? In The Face On the Milk Carton this is what happens to Janie Johnson, a happy, well-adjusted fifteen year old, and her life is never the same.I was totally riveted to this book, literally couldn’t put it down. The author took this premise and made a heart wrenching, true to life story. Janie works her way through a maze of emotions, from outright denial to slow, sad acceptance and we are right there with her every step of the way. I am immediately ordering the next book in the continuation of Janie’s journey, What Happened To Janie as I can’t wait to see how her life evolves. I highly recommend this book .
    • 4/5
      Mystery MSCooney, C. (1990). The face on the milk carton. New York: Laurel Leaf. Have you ever recognized a face on a milk carton? Imagine if it were your own. That’s what happened to Janie Johnson. She was sitting in the lunch room with her friends when she recognized the little girl with pigtails as herself. The little girl had been kidnapped from a shopping mall when she was three years old. But Janie just cannot believe that her loving parents could have done such a thing. She investigates and researches to find out the truth that is plaguing her everyday life. Caroline B. Cooney sets up a mystery that seems realistic. Janie’s struggle to uncover the facts about who she really is builds suspense and opens the possibility that the faces on the milk cartons can be found. With the help and support of her long-time friend and new love-interest, Janie’s mystery begins to unfold. There is some disappointment in the ending. The reader is left not quite satisfied with the answer to the mystery. Grades 6-9.
    • 4/5
      An exciting scenario... What if you were a missing child... then what? I enjoyed reading this book.
    • 5/5
      Amazing book its all full of mystery and intrigue. its amazing this author is awesome.
    • 5/5
      The Face on the Milk Carton is about a girl who's name is Janie Johnson and is a a fifteen year old who is having lunh with her friends and suddenly sees a girl on a milk carton and says that its herbut her friends dont belive her. So then she tries to figure out whats the truth and her parents tell her that they are her grandparents and says that her mom was in a cult and wanted her to have a normal life so they raised her. So then she doen't believe her and goes to New Jersey wiht her boy friend Reeve and sees red heads and she assumes that they are her brothers because she has red hair. Later her boyfriend tells his sister and they think that her "mom" kidnapped her becuse she was lonley. At the end she sends a letter by accident and calls her real family.
    • 4/5
      An interesting premise. The ending took me kind of by surprise, although the fact that there is a sequel (and then some) makes more sense now. It does read like a teen/young adult book, and I may have enjoyed it more had I read it at that age. Still, rather enjoyable. Not yet sure if I'll read the sequel or not...?!
    • 5/5
      This was book was about a girl who sees her picture on a milk carton and her whole life falls apart. Her parents may be her grandparents, and her mother was in a cult, or was she her mother?? She is still looking for her real family, but does she really want to start a whole new life?? The story continues in "what ever happened to Janie?", "the voice on the radio" and "What Janie found".
    • 4/5
      Very dated by today's standards, to the point that many of today's youth might not get many aspects of it. I still love it, though.